oipigface Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Does anyone have, or know of anyone who has, an aerotow tug that operates from water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookman Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 What on earth or should that be water are you up to OPF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentPilot Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 How big? My Tundra towplane can go on floats (not that I’d really want to try it!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 10 hours ago, wookman said: What on earth or should that be water are you up to OPF? I’m getting nostalgic for the days when water gliders ruled the earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 8 hours ago, SilentPilot said: How big? My Tundra towplane can go on floats (not that I’d really want to try it!) So you wouldn’t like to try towing a Water glider? It weighs about 3lb plus floats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentPilot Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 I suppose I could be tempted to get the V1 out of retirement and have a go Not my new one though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 Right you are on! Have you got floats? Have you got anywhere to fly from water near you? Here’s the beastie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil.Taylor Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Erm - just put the electric thingie in the front? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentPilot Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 A Cularis, I've had many a good flight with one of those! That tail looks awfully low. Are the floats attached yet? I'm beginning to think this is a wind up Yeah, I've got floats. Water suitable for towing might be a problem though! I am right next to LBA, actually inside their FRZ, but I do have permission to fly from local parks if I give them a call. There is a pond. A small pond. We might need to look at getting perm to use a reservoir... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 22 minutes ago, Phil.Taylor said: Erm - just put the electric thingie in the front? These wings have two fuselages already, Phil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 23 minutes ago, SilentPilot said: A Cularis, I've had many a good flight with one of those! That tail looks awfully low. Are the floats attached yet? I'm beginning to think this is a wind up Yeah, I've got floats. Water suitable for towing might be a problem though! I am right next to LBA, actually inside their FRZ, but I do have permission to fly from local parks if I give them a call. There is a pond. A small pond. We might need to look at getting perm to use a reservoir... I’ve PM’d you. It’s definitely not a wind up! The reason I fitted the floats to the Cularis is that I arranged to do it some weeks ago with another flyer in Bideford who has a plane that he reckons would make a suitable tug. By the time I got round to actually fitting the floats, he had crashed and smashed the proposed tug. That’s why I posted on the forum. The floats I bought to fit to an electric Easy Glider, which flew from water a couple of times three or four years ago. They were a bit big for that, and I suspect may be a bit small for the Cularis, although given that the Cularis has no motor or big battery, the weights probably aren’t that much different. They are well secured to the Cularis fus, with CNC routed ply plates Gorilla-glued to the bottom, but like you I’m not convinced that they are correct relative to the CG. I also haven’t yet fitted the water rudder. I’m thinking of giving it a test fly off a slope soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentPilot Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Yeah a test fly is a good idea! As is a water landing but not many slopes have a pond at the bottom. I guess you've got cliffs and sea but I wouldn't recommend that Has this been done before? We could be famous!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 29 minutes ago, pete beadle said: Best of good luck John and SP (the dynamic duo!) I understand that the two things that HAVE to be right on ROW (Rise Off Water) are..... 1) Ripples on the water are able to be overcome but waves are (usually) not and 2) The towed glider must have some form of rudder to keep it straight and into wind while under tow Oh, and I don't have to mention the receiver and battery MUST be in waterproof containers in both tug and tugged do I? Regards Pete BARCS1702 You are right on most of these points, Pete, except perhaps the last where you are only sort of right. Some time ago, I flew my Electric powered Easy Glider from a small lake in Wales. It was fitted with these same floats. Confronted with the conventional wisdom that everything has to be sealed, I thought that it would take ages to ensure this. So I just fitted the floats, put tape around the canopy joint, Mark put it in the water, and off it went. Handling in the air was a bit dodgy, but the landing was OK, if a bit splashy. On looking inside, everything was still bone dry. A bit of chop is a positive benefit rather than something to be overcome. It helps the floats to get on step. I haven’t fitted the water rudder to this yet. In fact, While it is clearly necessary for a powered ROW, I’m not convinced that it is for an aerotowOW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 15 minutes ago, oipigface said: I'm beginning to think this is a wind up I’ve got form! Here’s Mark T’s ic powered trainer, that helped his start on the yellow brick road to World Championship stardom (we hope). After he moved on to something more interesting, I fitted floats to whatever it was before we went for a holiday at Loch Lochy in the Scottish Highlands, where it took off: Flew past at least twice: and landed Hard to believe that it was 33 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentPilot Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 23 minutes ago, oipigface said: I haven’t fitted the water rudder to this yet. In fact, While it is clearly necessary for a powered ROW, I’m not convinced that it is for an aerotowOW. I think it's preferable. I'd like the glider to stay right behind the tow plane in the air and on the water. As Tesco would say, "Every little helps!" though if you don't jack the back up a little the air rudder will probably do both!!! How long a rope do you think we need? I've not measured mine, it's what came with my 2.25m Ka8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 1 hour ago, SilentPilot said: Has this been done before? We could be famous!!! It’s been done full-size several times. There will be an article in the BMFA News coming to your doorstep soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wookman Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 3 hours ago, SilentPilot said: Yeah a test fly is a good idea! As is a water landing but not many slopes have a pond at the bottom. I guess you've got cliffs and sea but I wouldn't recommend that You could try Mermaid's Pool. Nice stretch of water at the top! Have you set it on the floats so you have a combined air/water rudder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAZ Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 You could hand tow it off The Mermaid Pond and land back on it..... mind you, it would have to be pretty calm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Ott Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Often "Pond"ered that myself. Have also flown off water and often fancied gliding from an aerotow from water. Good luck. I would think 50m of towline would be about right if your stretch of water is big enough for the tug to start its mission from 50m away from the accessible downwind shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentPilot Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 I'm a bit worried about the tow line on the top. Fine off of ground but would there be a tendency to pull the tug's tail into water. Might be better off with a rear tow coupling... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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